Florence Death Toll Rises To 23 As Rivers Continue To Flood In N.C. And S.C.

A toddler's body was recovered on Monday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. Parts of I-95 and I-40 are closed; President Trump has issued disaster declarations for both North and South Carolina.

by Bill ChappellSep 17, 20184 minutes

Members of the Coast Guard Shallow-Water Response team escort utility workers to a flooded substation to inspect transformers in Newport, N.C., on Sunday.Source: U.S. Airman 1st Class Jacob Derry

Updated at 12:45 p.m. ET

People in North Carolina and South Carolina are coping with flooding, closed roads and power outages as they assess damage from Hurricane Florence. The storm is blamed for at least 23 deaths, and life-threatening floods are expected to continue all this week, the National Weather Service says.

"As of this morning, North Carolina has 17 confirmed deaths due to this storm," Gov. Roy Cooper said in an update at noon ET on Monday. An additional six deaths have been reported in South Carolina.

The tragic toll in North Carolina includes a toddler who died in Union County; Kaiden Lee-Welch, 1, was swept away from his mother, whose car had been overcome Kaiden's mother had apparently driven around barricades on Highway 218. A prolonged search and rescue operation led to the recovery of the boy's body Monday.